After I recovered my home table, I began to use a swatch of some excess Simonis left over as a break cloth.

As I figured, this has prevented the little white marks around the breaking areas, which I take to be little friction burns from the cue ball's downward force created because the break is so hard, and not quite level.

However, it has also prevented or greatly lessened the little white marks on the **pathway** to the rack, which I guess were the friction marks left when the cue ball bounced on its way to the head ball of the rack.

Why does, or how can, using the break cloth lessen THOSE marks? Can a single ply of cloth reduce bouncing in some way? Maybe absorbing some of the downward force of the break? (I doubt this, since it is so thin, and cannot really absorb much force, it would seem).

Don't get me wrong-- I'm happy that this is happening. I'm just at a loss to explain what's going on.

Bob_Jewett

03-31-2008, 12:56 PM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Soflasnapper</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> ... Why does, or how can, using the break cloth lessen THOSE marks? Can a single ply of cloth reduce bouncing in some way? Maybe absorbing some of the downward force of the break? (I doubt this, since it is so thin, and cannot really absorb much force, it would seem). ... </div></div>
Is it easier or harder to do jump shots with your break cue from the break cloth? If it's harder, then the cloth may be dampening the jump. If easier, maybe the cue ball is airborne for longer with the cloth and doesn't even touch down on the way to the rack.

DennyS

03-31-2008, 02:14 PM

The break cloth only saves the cloth from where you are breaking from. The cue bounces or skips down the path on the break. Not much you can do about that.

Bambu

04-01-2008, 10:43 AM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DennyS</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The break cloth only saves the cloth from where you are breaking from. The cue bounces or skips down the path on the break. Not much you can do about that.</div></div>

Yes, it prevents pitting at the break spot. Has anyone tried a 3 or 4 foot narrow swatch of cloth for the break? Seems impractical, but it should prevent the burn marks.

DickLeonard

04-03-2008, 10:29 AM

Soflasnapper The best break cloth is a new dollar bill if you want you could use two held together with scotch tape.

I consider a break cloth the same as teeing up the cueball. Most hard hitters are constantly jumping the ball halfway to the rack. Dick

Deeman3

04-03-2008, 11:13 AM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DickLeonard</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Soflasnapper The best break cloth is a new dollar bill if you want you could use two held together with scotch tape.

Dick

Dick,

I thought only a $100 bill worked for this. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

</div></div>

DickLeonard

04-03-2008, 12:15 PM

Deeman I lost more hundred dollar bills that way. I wass the absent minded professor.

Just a story from my past, I was running the Golden Screw in Albany and I was playing someone on the front table and the phone rang I tripped up the stairs dropping my cue. I picked up the cue and grabbed the phone which had armor wiring, the phone twisted out of my hand banging into the desk. I finished the phone call and went back to shooting pool, I ran 115 and out on him. I got back to the desk and Harry a local said to me your amazing the phone rings you trip up the stairs,drop the phone and then you finish running 115 and out. Dick

Just a story from my past, I was running the Golden Screw in Albany and I was playing someone on the front table and the phone rang I tripped up the stairs dropping my cue. I picked up the cue and grabbed the phone which had armor wiring, the phone twisted out of my hand banging into the desk. I finished the phone call and went back to shooting pool, I ran 115 and out on him. I got back to the desk and Harry a local said to me your amazing the phone rings you trip up the stairs,drop the phone and then you finish running 115 and out. Dick </div></div>

Dick,

Seems like very little bothered you in those days. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif Hell, me and you both would have trouble just running up the stairs now. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif

Soflasnapper

04-28-2008, 10:45 AM

Mystery solved! (This is embarrassing!)

Since we started using the break cloth on my (then-) newly reclothed table, I stopped using the side of the long-rail break for 9-ball breaking altogether, or almost so. And so have my hitting partners. (D'oh!!)

I'm currently favoring a breaking spot about 1 diamond to either side of the head spot, lining up the 1 with a ball in the next to last row, ignoring the one and trying to (in my mind) directly hit that 4th row ball. That gives a super full hit on the one without thinking about it, and strongly moves the targeted ball toward the foot corner pocket, making it about half the time. (I 'call' it on the break for fun.)

Both Sue and Mark now line up their break at about the head spot. Getting the cue ball away from the rail means a much flatter, more level break stroke, less skipping and jumping to the rack, and less of an impact on the cloth when it does jump, because any jump effect on impact with the cloth is from a lower height. It also minimizes scratching and flying off the table, because of how full the one is hit from head-on.

There is now the beginnings of a break track to the rack in the middle of the table, but it is very slight by comparison, for the reasons described above.

When I play 8-ball, I do use a near-the-long-rail break spot, to hit the second ball and move out the 8 towards the side pocket. However, that isn't a rail bridged shot when I do it-- I make a hand bridge on the table, to keep the break more level and keep the cue ball on the table better.